


Third Time's a Charm

by Nothing_You_Can_Prove



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-06-09 10:32:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15265584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove
Summary: I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I just refused to say goodbye,And that has made all the difference.





	1. The Key

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this one will probably be a three-parter. Just a little idea to keep the writing coming while I try to motivate myself to dive back into longer fics.

**********Chapter One: The Key**

A faint whirring sound filtered through the stagnant air, reaching Max’s ears. Blue eyes opened, met with a seemingly endless darkness. She stood, unsteady on her feet. It was impossible to gauge her boundaries. Not a single point of interest or even vague outlines of shapes to guide her.

How had she gotten here… where even was here?

Those were just two of the many questions racing through her mind right now. Everything felt… strange. Muffled and sluggish, as if she were underwater. Her mind was an impenetrable haze, limbs tingling. Heavy.

In the distance, she noticed something.

Movement.

Squinting, she traced the delicate patterns of color with her eyes, watching it get closer and closer. When it was a couple of feet in front of her face, she realized what it was.

A blue butterfly, small red spots peppered into the block of watery color.

Effortlessly, it glided across the void, lighting an indistinct path. Compelled to follow, Max cautiously approached the creature. Every time she got too near, it darted forward in a graceful loop. One thin line marked the creature's path, glowing smoke.

Determined, she picked up the pace. There was nothing else to do but tread this precarious trail. Time passed, how much she couldn’t tell. The invisible weight began to disappear, making her ten times lighter.

A burden lifted.

Eventually, she hit a crossroad. Instead of picking a side, the butterfly sat between the two paths on a wordless sign pointing both ways, waiting. Confused, Max examined the routes. One seemed to glow faintly red while the other a haunting blue.

As she stood there, stock still, her surroundings filled out with deliberate brushstrokes. Wisps signifying trees faded into existence, dark wood and golden leaves against the black. Tufts of grass poked through, defining the ground from the amorphous swirling mass below her feet.

Before her eyes, the two colors merged. Tendrils of blue swirled into the blood red, slowly shifting to a light purple. As they blended together further, it intensified. Another path. Drawn towards the newly created route, she stepped around the sign. The moment her foot touched the glistening purple, the butterfly took flight again.

Not wanting to get left behind, she pursued the creature. The further she moved down the path, the deeper its color. Veins of red and blue remained like blood vessels, dancing in unpredictable patterns. Gradually, a clearing materialized.

Max stopped mid-step, watching the butterfly dart ahead and then hover. Below it was a small tawny doe, reddish brown fur shimmering, its head raised to greet the newcomer. After a second or two, the butterfly landed on the doe’s nose, extending its vibrant blue wings to their fullest.

Instinctively, she reached for her bag, hand grabbing at thin air. With no way to capture the moment, she instead tried to commit the image to memory with her eyes. Blue and red outlines met in the middle, overlapping to form an electric indigo.

The sight alone was enough to send a shiver down her spine.

Emanating from this core, pinpricks of light engulfed the once yellow forest. She was enveloped in it, feeling the raw energy coursing through her veins. Every fiber of her being felt charged.

_Alive._

* * *

The sharp clang of the school bell woke Max from her slumber. Math class was always so boring, but this was the first time she’d properly fallen asleep at school. Too many late night gaming sessions with Chloe maybe. That probably explained her weird dream, too. Not enough sleep, totally worth it.

Rubbing her eyes, she sleepily glanced up at the mounted wall clock, watching the seconds tick by.

Hometime.

Eagerly, she shoved her crumpled workbook and doodle decorated pencil case in her bag as her teacher droned on about homework, zipping it up tight. Her mom reminded her to do it every day, especially since she got her first proper camera. With her clumsy nature, all precautions were necessary.

Slinging the dog-eared bag over her shoulder, she stood and raced out of the classroom. Chloe had science class last period, not too far away. She counted each purposeful stride, knowing she was getting closer.

Maybe she could make it before her friend got out of the classroom.

A little out of breath, she reached the science labs. Almost unable to contain her excitement, she headed to Chloe’s classroom and peered inside. There were a few students lingering, none she recognized.

Where was-?

“Booyah!”

The sudden loud voice and hands on her shoulders made Max almost jump out of her skin. She didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was, but she did anyway. As expected, Chloe was stood there, still clutching on so she didn’t fall over. Years worth of scares and many bruises later taught her not to let go until she was one hundred percent sure Max was stable.

“Get it? Booyah, like a scary punk ghost.” She grinned gleefully, proud of her creation. “Gotta get into the spirit of Halloween.”

“Chloe, Halloween was last week,” Max pointed out, leftover adrenaline pumping through her system.

She should be used to this by now.

The blonde girl shrugged. “So? While there is still candy to eat, Halloween ain’t over.”

Not waiting for a reply, she grabbed onto Max’s hand and dragged her through the hallway towards the exit. Feeling a little embarrassed, the young freckled brunette shyly followed Chloe. Her friend was always so unashamed, ready to tear anyone down who tried to make fun of her. The hand in hers was so warm, a little bigger.

An imperfect fit.

Chloe refused to let go the whole way back to her house. They had planned a weekend-long sleepover, filled with adventure and mischief. Plenty of movies, games, drawing sessions and pirate plundering.

When they reached the Price house, Chloe practically ran to the front door. Yanking it open, they piled inside. Not much had changed since Max’s first visit: some new photos, more trinkets and other signs of her presence. Chloe’s house was her second home, William and Joyce treating her like another daughter.

“Chloe,” William called out before they had a chance to rush past the lounge undetected, “have you tidied your room yet?”

“Ugh, I’ll do it later, dad,” she called back.

A deep sigh traveled from the other room. “You said that the last time I asked.”

“I never said _when_ I’d do it, just later,” she countered, rolling her eyes.

“My daughter the smartass. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised,” he muttered to himself, just loud enough for them to hear.

She smirked, seeming proud of her title. “Not with you as a dad.”

“Hmm, your mother would probably agree with that,” he chuckled then sighed heavily. “Alright, I know when I’m beat. Just be sure to do it soon, _if_ you can possibly fit it into your busy schedule of mischief and mayhem.”

Chloe didn’t reply, quickly raiding the fridge for some snacks then leading Max up the stairs to her room. It looked like a bomb had hit it, clothes and junk everywhere.

Frowning, Max examined the floor trying to find a safe way through. “Should we just do it and get it out of the way?”

“Max, we have more important things to do right now. Treasure doesn’t find itself.” When her face crumpled, Chloe sighed deeply putting her hands on her best friend’s shoulders. “Come on, we’ve been planning this forever. We can do it when we get back, okay?”

Thinking it over for a moment, Max nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“That’s the spirit. Onwards to adventure, ye scurvy landlubber!” she announced in her best pirate accent.

Their future task long forgotten, the pair gathered together everything they would need: their trusty treasure map smelling faintly of coffee, chipped plastic cutlasses from over-enthusiastic duels and tattered pirate hats.

Chloe grabbed her skateboard while Max took the old scooter, ready to head on over to their tree fort.

“Don’t forget to be back in about an hour,” William called out to them before they raced out of the door. “Well, if you want feeding at least.”

“Yeah, yeah. Got it.” Chloe brushed him off, yanking the door open. “I’ll race you, Max.”

Practically throwing the skateboard to the ground, she kicked off hard almost falling off in her excitement. Not wanting to lag behind, Max gave herself as powerful a push as possible with her foot to close the gap. They whizzed through the streets, heading off-road as soon as they could and making the rest of the journey on foot. They’d been thrown off by loose stones and protruding tree roots enough times.

Despite the brunette’s best efforts, she came in second.

“Yes!” Chloe exclaimed victoriously as she came to a skidding halt at the foot of a large, twisted tree. She picked up a sharp stone, carving a mark into the bark. “Another point for Captain Bluebeard.”

Examining the tally, greatly weight against her, Max took a moment to catch her breath. “I’ll get you next time.”

“I like that fighting spirit, Caulfield.” A wry smirk tugged at her lips. “It’ll make my victory even sweeter.”

Max wasn’t normally competitive, but Chloe seemed to bring it out in her. Mostly because she wanted to impress her friend... and wiping the smug smirk off her face was a rare yet pretty amusing outcome, too.

Once they had both recovered, they climbed up the boards nailed to the trunk leading to a rickety treehouse. They had found it about three years ago, begging William to help them renovate it. A lover of tools, he agreed and turned it into the fortress they had come to know and love today.

Setting her backpack down, handing Max some chips and a soda, Chloe yanked open a chest shaped storage box. Muttering to herself, she nearly emptied the entire thing, pulling out a plastic gun.

“Aha, found you.”

Getting comfortable on the floor, which was covered in old tattered cushions and threadbare blankets, she grabbed her own snack and soda. Max opened her drink, fizzing up. She moved it away all too late, her lap getting wet.

Chloe snickered. “The waters be choppy today, Long Max Silver.”

Glad that she didn’t get made fun of too much, Max nodded and took a sip from the volcano of fizz. “Aye, Captain Bluebeard.”

Downing her own soda and devouring her chips in seconds, Chloe began prowling around the treehouse, wooden boards creaking under her weight. Blue eyes scanned the area, lighting up with mischief.

“Someday, I’ll get my own pirate pistol. Then people had better watch out.” She aimed the flintlock at an old beer bottle stuffed with one of their many maps, pulling the trigger and shouting,  **“BANG!”**

The sound made Max jump, her eyes trained on the weapon. “Guns hurt people, Chloe.”

“People hurt people,” she corrected as she searched for something else to pretend shoot. “And stupid people with guns can hurt even more people. Gotta protect ourselves somehow.”

Max frowned at the logic. “Giving more people guns doesn’t make anyone safer.”

“You are such a killjoy, Max. Fine, I’ll just get a real cutlass instead.” Clumsily she drew the plastic sword from her belt, jabbing the air with it. “But we both know you don’t bring a sword to a gunfight.”

“I don’t want to get in any fights.”

“Neither do I. Not really,” worried that she might come across as weak if that secret got out, Chloe quickly backtracked, “but don’t you dare tell anyone else that. Sometimes, we don’t have a choice though.”

“There’s always a choice,” Max replied firmly.

“Not always good ones. It’s okay. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. If they do…” Chloe sliced the air, the blade wobbling. “They’ll have to go through me.”

She had always been the braver of the pair and physically stronger. Her height helped, as did her stubbornness. Anyone who picked on Max always ended up regretting it.

Even though she didn’t agree with violence, Max couldn’t help but feel happy that Chloe would go so far to protect her. It made her feel safe. She only wished she could return the favor.

Maybe one day.

While Chloe was swishing her sword around, Max pulled her own weapon of choice out of her bag: her camera.

“Chloe,” she called out, lining up her shot preemptively.

Used to this by now, the blonde posed for the camera - a solid stance, cutlass extended. Remembering what William had told her, she waited for the light to hit just the right spot and took the picture. The moment it came out, she closely examined it. While it might just seem like a kid playing pretend, to Max Chloe _was_ a dashing, charming, badass pirate.

 _Her_ dashing, charming, badass pirate.

The photo was snatched clean out of her hands. “It’s gotta get the Price seal of approval first, you know the rules.”

Max bit her lip, watching her scrutinize the picture. Even though she had never said anything bad about her photos, quite the opposite actually, Max couldn’t help but feel nervous.

She _wanted_ to impress Chloe.

After what felt like an eternity, the blonde handed the photo back. “Nice work as always, Caulfield.”

Letting out a breath she didn’t even realize she had been holding in, Max put the photo in her bag for safekeeping, stashing it in her math workbook to make sure it didn’t get damaged. Map in hand, Chloe grabbed the trowels she had “borrowed” from Joyce’s gardening equipment and lead them towards the big red X.

When they reached the spot, they got down on their hands and knees. A few moments of digging later, they hit something. Clearing away some more dirt, Chloe pulled out a small metal box. She opened it up, revealing some candy. After last Halloween, when William decided to help himself to their haul, they made sure to hide it.

“Here be the booty,” she exclaimed, handing it over to Max so she could put it in her bag.

High fiving their successful trip, they headed back home. Leaving the box hidden under a jacket, they went upstairs to clean up. William was in the kitchen making dinner while Joyce was in the lounge, only recently coming back from her shift.

After almost getting into a full-scale water fight, they headed back downstairs and helped lay the table.

“Now, I don’t make this as good as Joyce, but here is my humble offering.” William set the meal down; Joyce’s famous salmon surprise.

Joyce shook her head, smiling. “Oh, hush you. You do a fine job.”

“I recommend waiting _until_ you try it, but thank you, dearest.” He pulled her in for a brief kiss before sitting down.

Chloe rolled her eyes, more playful than genuinely annoyed, descending on her food like a ravenous wolf the moment it hit her plate. Both William and Joyce had long since given up trying to teach her table manners. Trying only made it worse.

Their meal was fairly uneventful, aside from Chloe nearly stabbing William with her fork over teasing her when Max showed him the photo she took earlier.

He did like playing with fire.

Before long, the plates were clean. Eager to go back upstairs, Chloe shoved them into the sink and, with Max’s help, returned them to the right place. Chore done, she headed over to the jacket covering their candy. When she lifted it up, she frowned.

 _Nothing_.

Sighing, she glanced over at the table. “Dad, where did the candy go?”

William didn’t even glance up from his paper, taking a sip of recently prepared coffee. “Hmm?”

Crossing her arms, Chloe didn’t back down. “Don’t play dumb. Mine and Max’s secret stash.”

“Not sure I know anything about that,” he replied, maintaining his stoic expression.

“I know you know, so cut the crap.” Trying to intimidate him into submission, she slammed her fist down on the table.

Putting the paper down on the table, William stroked his stubbly chin. “Let me think… I might have seen them somewhere, I just… can’t quite remember where. Maybe you can ask me _later_ and I might know.”

It didn’t take Chloe long to figure out what he was getting at. “That’s blackmail.”

That made him chuckle. “I prefer gentle coercion.”

Crossing her arms, the young girl stared him down. “Same difference.”

He exhaled dramatically. “Alas, my memory just isn’t what it used to be.”

Joyce, who was sat down on the couch, stifled a laugh. Bongo, the family cat, was curled up on her lap, content as could be.

Realizing he wasn’t going to break, she scoffed and stomped away only stopping to look over her shoulder. “Are you coming, Max?”

“Yeah, I’m coming.” Max followed her upstairs, cautiously entering William and Joyce’s bedroom.

“Dad sometimes hides stuff in here.” Chloe opened a drawer, digging through the clothes. “You go check the closet.”

“I don’t know, Chloe. Why don’t we just go clean your room?” Max suggested, knowing it would be quicker in the end.

“Ugh, Max. If I start doing stuff like that, my parents will expect me to do it all the time. I have them well trained,” she explained, opening the next drawer. “Besides, you like snooping.”

Unable to argue with that, the brunette joined in the search. They almost turned the room upside down, searching every possible place. No dice.

“Shit, it’s not here…” Chloe muttered to herself angrily.

“Where else could it be?” Max asked, hoping they would find their treasure soon.

“Anywhere. Dad can get really sneaky.”

The pair started upstairs, even checking the dusty attic. After thoroughly searching downstairs, interrogation not working, they went back upstairs to Chloe’s room.

“If we want candy, we’ll have to get this dump clean,” the blonde reluctantly conceded.

Max looked at the mess of clothes and trash that made up Chloe’s floor, not optimistic about their chances. “This is going to take all day.”

“It’s not _that_ bad… maybe,” she paused, not sounding overly confident. “If we both do it, we’ll be fine.”

Chloe grabbed a pile of clothes, some dirty others clean, and shoved them in the laundry basket. While she did that, Max headed over to the other side of the room and started gathering together all the used cups and trash littering every surface.

To help keep themselves motivated, they turned each task into small games or competitions. Not as fun as their pirate adventures outside, but enough to make the task seem less boring. The bed became their pirate ship, all the trash treasure to collect or monsters to defeat. Bongo decided to come and investigate, "helping" them every now and then. The rest of the time the cat spent supervising them, occasionally giving an approving purr.

Time passed them by, not that they really noticed. By the end, they were genuinely having fun.

“Damn,” Chloe took a step back, looking over her now tidy room, “I think this is the cleanest I’ve ever seen it.”

“I have a feeling it won’t last,” Max playfully teased.

Chloe nudged her shoulder hard. “Wow, rude.”

“But not untrue.” They both turned, finding William in the doorway looking ridiculously smug. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. “I suppose the buried treasure should turn up now, since you’ve done all the hard work.”

He pulled his hand from behind his back, holding the small metal box.

“I knew you took it!” Chloe practically shouted, snatching it away before he could change his mind.

“Who me?” William pretended to be offended by that accusation, clearly enjoying this. “No, I just found it now. Guess you guys looked under the wrong jacket.”

“Ugh, whatever. Come on, Max. We have candy to eat.” Not waiting, Chloe stormed out into the hallway, stairs creaking loudly under heavy footfall.

As Max moved to leave the room, William passed her a wink. “You should take notes, Max. Never know when it might come in handy, _but..._ ” His face turned serious. “You must _never_ reveal these secret methods to the unworthy.”

“I won’t,” she replied, running after Chloe before she got impatient.

Watching her go, William smiled to himself. All the while, he played with his car keys. The soft clink lingered long after he left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure when the next chapter will be out, but I’ll do my best to get it out asap. See you next time :)


	2. The Door

**Chapter Two: The Door**

A mixture of sweet aromas mingled in the air, accompanied by a satisfying sizzle. Rachel loosened the first pancake with a spatula, flipping it in the air. It spun gracefully, landing right side down.

She took a small bow, getting a clap from Joyce. “Look at you, cooking like a pro.”

William smiled at her, adding more batter to the pan. “She  _i_ _s_ learning from the best.”

Joyce put a hand on her hip. “Nope, she’d be learning from me then.”

With a melodramatic gasp, he put a hand over his heart. “Dear lady, your sharp tongue hath wounded me.”

“I’m surprised Chloe didn’t become a theatre kid,” Rachel chuckled. "It obviously runs in the family."

“I do my best.” He gave a deep bow, winking on the way back up. “Speaking of my darling daughter, I’m guessing she isn’t awake yet.”

Rachel left Chloe to sleep while she took a shower and helped Joyce with breakfast. She knew how grouchy the punk could be on an empty stomach.

“You want me to wake her up?”

Joyce took over from William after he flipped the next pancake, ready to show her skill. “She’s less likely to bite your head off, so yes. If you don’t mind.”

“I got you covered, Joyce.”

Giving a salute, Rachel headed upstairs to Chloe’s bedroom. She knew it as well as her own, maybe even better these days. Carefully, she opened the door, trying not to make a sound. Peering inside, she noticed a shape under the pile of blankets.

“Target acquired,” she muttered to herself, getting ready to pounce.

As quickly as possible, she ran and catapulted herself onto the bed. Pillows and blankets flew up into the air, scattering across the floor. No sign of Chloe…

“Gotcha!”

She shrieked as arms encircled her waist, lifting her up into the air. She fell back onto the bed, limbs tangled with none other than Chloe Price.

“Ugh, cheat.” Rachel pouted, turning her head away.

“Ha, says you.” When she continued refusing to look at Chloe, the punk carefully flopped across her. “C’mon, you can’t stay mad at this face forever.”

“I’m not looking, Price. Your puppy dog eyes won’t work on me.”

“I know something else that wiiiiiill.”

Chloe rolled over to face her, kissing her nose, then her forehead, cheek and lips. Anywhere and everywhere she could reach. As much as Rachel wanted to keep up her pretense, she felt herself melt with each kiss.

“No fair….”

“That makes us even.”

“Nope.” Rachel snuggled up closer, resting her head on Chloe’s shoulder. “I _was_ supposed to wake you up for breakfast, but you can wait now.”

“Fine by me.” Chloe wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, sighing contently.

“Hmm, thought you’d put up more of a fight with food on the line.”

“There are more important things.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Chloe Price?” Rachel asked with a wry smile.

Chloe scoffed, lightly squeezing her. They laid there for some time, listening to the sound of nature - the wind, birds chirping, leaves rustling - and soft music coming from the defaced Hi-Fi sat in the corner.

Rachel finally interrupted the calm. “So, heard from Max recently?”

“She’s been busy with school work, like a nerd. She promised she’d call tomorrow.”

“She better. I can’t wait to meet her, after all this time.” Rachel sounded excited, how could she not after everything she’d heard about Max Caulfield?

Grinning, Chloe nodded eagerly. “It’s gonna be awesomesauce! Arcadia won’t be ready.”

“It can _barely_ keep up with us.”

“Good. I want to keep it that way. Shouldn’t be hard.”

Scoffing, Rachel shuffled to face her. “Oh please. We could do it with our eyes closed and one hand tied behind our backs.”

Chloe got lost in those hazel eyes she’d come to know so well. Full of life, mischief and love. Rachel had been so hard to read, and she still was sometimes, but she had let down her guard tenfold since they met. The same went for Chloe. She felt comfortable being herself. At first, vulnerability had been terrifying. Now, not so much.

She reached out, lightly brushing Rachel’s cheek with her hand. “You bet.”

“Rachel! Chloe! Food’s ready!” Joyce called up to them.

“Guess we’d better get moving, huh?” Rachel leaned in for one final kiss before rolling over and getting to her feet.

She held out her hand, helping Chloe up. The pair left her room, racing each other downstairs. Chloe almost crashed into the door, tripping up over her own boots. Rachel caught her as she swung around the banister, gliding into the kitchen.

When Chloe shuffled inside, she smirked at her. "Guess that means I win, huh. What do I get?"

"Who said there would be a prize?"

Rachel crossed her arms, expression stern. "Chloe Price, don't bullshit me. You know how this works."

Joyce and William watched their "heated discussion", sharing amused glances. 

"Now now, let's get down to business," William interrupted, pointing to the large stack of pancakes.

Calling a temporary truce, they all sat down at the table. That, in itself, was a declaration of war. Getting the final pancake had become a game in the Price household. An age-old tradition that had started when Max was still in Arcadia. When Rachel came into Chloe’s life, they unanimously agreed to re-install it. The second the stack hit the table, Chloe and William dove straight in. Rachel and Joyce managed to get a pancake each in between their competitive eating. It didn’t take long for the pile to disappear, the final one visible now Rachel had taken her second helping.

“Ha! I win, suckers!” Chloe exclaimed victoriously as she forked it onto her plate.

With lightning sharp reflexes, almost too fast for a mortal being, William attempted to swipe the pancake clean off Chloe’s plate. She stopped his fork with her own, prongs interlocking.

“Not on your life, Bloody Bill.”

“Arrrrrr, ye have not seen the last of me, Bluebeard.”

He clattered the forks together before pulling his own back, hand hovering ready to pounce again. Chloe narrowed her eyes, staring him down just waiting to parry his advances.

Joyce watched them, shaking her head with a smile. “If you two make a mess, you’re cleaning it up.”

Ignoring her, the two began an epic fight for the fabled final pancake of Saturday morning. Rachel rested her head on her hand, witnessing the battle. She  _could_ steal it right from underneath their noses now, but this was more fun.

When William narrowly avoided getting stabbed in the hand, he held them up. “Okay, I yield. I’d like to keep my fingers.”

“You’re not a real pirate until you’ve lost a finger or two,” she goaded playfully.

Rachel decided to give her a few seconds to celebrate before making her move. In one smooth motion, she wrapped her arms around Chloe, her lips close to the punk’s ear.

“Chloe, dearest.”

Suspicious, Chloe glanced over at her while trying to protect her plate. “Yeah?”

“Would you mind if I took that?”

“You… you’ve gotta watch your figure for modeling, right?” Chloe defended weakly.

She found it hard saying no to Rachel. Her one weakness.

“I’m sure I can work it off.” She batted her eyelids, using Chloe’s own puppy dog eyes technique against her. “Come on, you said I was more important than food.”

Sighing loudly, she pushed her plate over to Rachel, who smiled and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, babe. How about we share it?”

“You don’t even want it, do you?”

She grabbed the sugar, carefully sprinkling some over the pancake. “Only if I get to eat it with you.”

Chloe couldn’t even be mad. She lightly bumped their heads together. “Dork.”

“I think you’ll find you’re the bigger dork here.”

William nodded approvingly at Rachel’s persuasion technique. “It seems the pupil has become the master.”

“Maybe I should keep you around Rachel to get Chloe to do all the housework,” Joyce chuckled, getting a glare in return.

Leaning back in his chair, William took a sip of coffee. “Ah, I’m stuffed. Thank you for the lovely breakfast, darling.”

“Yes, thank you, Joyce. You’re a star.”

“Thanks, mom.”

Joyce smiled, swirling her steaming second cup. “You’re welcome.”

While Chloe and Rachel finished up the final pancake, William got to his feet and moved all the dirty plates and cutlery to the sink to soak. He took the groceries list off the fridge, reading through it and muttering to himself as he checked the cupboards. While he added several things to the list, they finished their breakfast and did the dishes.

They grabbed another mug of coffee each, moving to the couch and switching the TV on. Getting cuddled up, they channel hopped to find something interesting. Chloe got distracted halfway through the search when Rachel nuzzled into her neck.

“You must’ve been a cat in a previous life.”

“Meow.” She glanced up with a smirk, soon fading. “Chloe?”

Pale-faced, Chloe stared at the TV screen, oblivious to everything else in the world. Like she was in a trance.

Rachel frowned, following her eyes. “Oh, no… that can’t be…”

Chloe froze as she watched the news report, an overwhelming numbness consuming her from the inside out. Sight and sound went in and out of focus with her heartbeat.

**“...number of confirmed victims… across the West Coast… Mark Jefferson… in Seattle… local, Maxine Caulfield… still missing…”**

When Max’s picture flashed on screen, a wave of nausea hit her. The remote clattered to the floor, hands shaking uncontrollably.

“Max…”

William put his hand on the front door, pushing it wide open. He hummed loudly as he left the house, the faint sound of his out of tune crooning echoing behind him as the two girls sat in stunned silence.

_“Burning the midnight oil again…”_

* * *

_Fire._

Scorched land and unbearable heat. A forest, once pale wood burned black, yellow leaves consumed by flickers of blazing orange and blood red. Wispy patches of grass became nothing but ash in seconds, fueling the pyre.

Bloodshot hazel eyes opened, vision blurred. Each breath made Rachel cough and splutter, her lungs filling with heavy smoke. Almost impossible to breathe. Blonde hair was plastered to her head, no longer a soft and shimmering stream of gold. Her clothes were torn, marked skin feeling itchy and unpleasant.

Invisible hands clawed at her, both inside and out.

When she tried to get to her feet, her entire body shook uncontrollably, falling back down to the ground a few times as her legs gave way. Feeling the flames lap at her ankles, she crawled across the parched dirt.

Through the confusion, one thought persisted:  _move_.

In the distance, she caught sight of a faint red glow, almost swallowed whole by the fire’s destructive dance. With nowhere else to turn, she chased after her only hope of freedom. With each movement, another invisible weight was added. Her limbs felt heavy as she grasped the weirdly swirling ground beneath, fingers sinking deep as she pulled herself forward.

Pushing past the handicap, she went into autopilot. Reach, dig, pull, repeat. When her hand hit something solid, unable to grasp, she lifted her head. Splintered wood and peeling paint. Her legs felt five times lighter, enough to stand without toppling over.

“Where…?” she muttered, eyes surveying the area.

She was stood on a rundown stage. A shadowy audience sat before her, features blurred. Their eyes, on the other hand, were like floodlights piercing into her very soul. The never-ending sea of people was silent, their gaze judging. Harsh whispers echoed in her mind, each one a stab to the heart. Two faced lies, jealousy. Attempts to crush her spirit, carve out her heart and tear her soul into a million pieces. Fear consumed her, wanting nothing more than to fade out of existence. That wasn’t her style, though.

“Rachel.”

She turned to her left, then her right… nobody there. The voice echoed around her, hard to pinpoint the direction. Half the stage was bathed in blue, the other red. Both colors blended in the middle, a soft purple.

Once again, she saw the faint streak of red. A… butterfly?

With nowhere else to go, she hobbled to the edge of the stage where it was perched. She got close enough for her fingertips to brush against its wings before it plunged itself into the fire. A spiral dance of sacrifice, equally beautiful and terrifying. Crackling flames slowly consumed the faceless audience, their features coming into view. People she knew, enemies, friends, family…

Her heart stopped when she saw a distinct flash of blue.

“Chloe…”

She glanced over her shoulder, then back out over her audience. Their whispers urge her to do what she knew she must. There was no way she could go back now, only forward. Slowly, she shuffled until her back hit a solid mass of nothingness.

“It’s okay. It’ll be okay. You have to do this. You know that.”

She reassured herself as best she could before running full speed and launching herself off the stage just as the butterfly had.

A leap of faith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter and then the main part of this will be done. Hopefully get that out sometime this month. And then maybe do a bonus chapter or two when I get time/motivation. Seeya next time. Hope 2019 is treating you all well so far!


	3. The Charm

**Chapter Three: The Charm**

“Mmm…” Max groaned, blue eyes gradually opening.

Around her were burned tree stumps, ash coating the ground. As she stood up, she parted some of it. Underneath, the soil was surprisingly fertile, small green shoots creeping up to the sun. She watched them in awe, new flora and fauna sprouting. Purple flowers and leaves hung low from a solitary tree in the center, bark cracked. Behind her, an explosion of blue appeared and in front red seeped across the landscape.

A butterfly landed on one of the flowers, wings - a rich purple with red and blue veins running through them - flapping lazily.

“Max.”

She turned, catching sight of an unexpected companion in this once desolate wasteland recently turned paradise. Long blonde hair was singed at the ends, clothes dirty and torn. It was almost like she was… glowing, a faint red.

“Rachel? You look…”

“Like shit? Yeah, I know. You don’t look much better.”

Max looked down, noticing her tattered and bloodstained clothes for the first time, which only added to the overall confusion. She could _swear_ there was a blue tint to her own outline, just like Rachel’s.

“I didn’t think I’d ever get to meet you. Least of all here… wherever here is.”

“In between timelines,” Rachel explained, motioning to the rapidly growing woodland. “You would know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

“You… know about my powers?”

She nodded, letting a butterfly land on her finger. “You wouldn’t be here without them. What do you remember? Anything from before you woke up here?”

“I…” Max thought hard, face scrunched up, “...remember a storm. A bathroom… Chloe!”

“She’s safe, Max. _Finally_ ,” Rachel reassured, a small doe nuzzling against her other hand.

Max looked around the colorful area, uncertain what was happening. It almost felt too peaceful here, surreal. “Are we safe?”

A raven cawed softly, coming to rest on Rachel’s shoulder. She didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. “Honestly, I don’t know. We’ve both been messing around with something we shouldn’t.”

“I wanted to come back. To save you.”

“I know.” Rachel offered a wistful smile. “Which is why we’re meeting now. We’ve both been here before. Together. You just don’t remember. Similar situation, but roles reversed.”

That confused Max. Surely she would remember that. “You saved me?”

“Strange, I know.” Rachel turned behind her, to the still expanding red half of the forest. In the distance, she noticed a rundown stage. “That one is my timeline, one without you.” She then motioned behind Max, towards the blue side. A battered split sign pointed their way. “And that’s yours, without me.”

Max frowned, staring at the purple overlap separating them. “What’s that?”

“Our way out, I hope.” Rachel smiled, tired yet hopeful. “I don’t know how long we’ll be here for, but I’ll tell you what I know. In my timeline, the ‘original’ timeline where this all started, you kept in touch with Chloe when you left for Seattle. Doesn’t seem like much, but it changed _everything._ We were all totally different people.” When Max visible deflated, she shook her head. “Max, I’m not blaming you. There’s a reason you didn’t stay in touch with Chloe in your timeline. In mine, you were supposed to come to Blackwell, but… you never made it there. You disappeared without a trace. Sound familiar?”

“Yeah, it does.”

Sighing heavily, Rachel continued, “Long story short… Jefferson got you in Seattle. Chloe was devastated. The night she heard the news, she cried herself to sleep. It broke my heart to see her like that. When I finally fell asleep, I… dreamt of another timeline. Where you were still alive. Turns out, it wasn’t a dream.”

This was a lot to take in, even with her time travel knowledge. She did her best to keep a clear head. “That almost sounds like my photo jump.”

Rachel shrugged, the raven on her shoulder digging its claws in. “Kind of. Except, I wasn’t restricted by any boundaries. I lived all the way from the time you left for Seattle... to when you returned. I didn’t really remember what happened in my own timeline. But… I _was_ drawn towards doing certain things to prevent you from getting hurt. Things I would’ve never done otherwise….”

Max considered it. The Rachel Amber she knew was so different to the one Chloe described. She had thought that was an unwillingness to accept the truth, but maybe...

“I would never hurt Chloe the way I did in your timeline. Not voluntarily. I love her, more than anything. And I know you’re very important to her. You always have been.” She let out another deep sigh, the doe leaning into her thigh. “The universe really didn’t want us to meet, Max. That's why you never called or text her while I was around. Well, that’s not entirely true. It _couldn’t_ let us meet.”

“And we can now?”

“Yes, although I’m not sure if that’ll stick. Anyway, your timeline played out, without me in it. You get powers and save Chloe. Someone didn’t like me changing things. You two look for me… find me… then face down the storm and a choice. But, out of nowhere, you try to go back and save _me_. Which created this.”

Rachel pointed to the purple tree between them. Through the cracks in the trunk, a light mist bled out along with indistinct whispers, too numerous to focus on.

“So, this is our way out?”

“When our paths crossed, this timeline was created,” Rachel explained, the butterfly crawling up her arm. “It’s… weak, anchored between yours and mine like a makeshift rope swing. I don’t know what will happen if we enter, it could destroy everything.”

“Or maybe this is what we needed to do from the start.” There had to be a reason they were here now, for her time travel and whatever Rachel had.

“Maybe. I don’t know why we would have these powers otherwise. If there even is a reason.”

“Only one way to find out…” Max muttered, feeling nervous. Would this work? She hoped so.

Holding out her hand, Rachel led Max over to the tree. Fingers intertwined, they pressed them against the bark, watching as the smoke billowed around them. A purple haze. They closed their eyes, praying for the happy ending they knew they deserved.

“Third time’s a charm,” Rachel whispered as the world around them faded to nothing.

* * *

Today was the day.

Chloe felt nervous, knowing her childhood best friend was returning to Arcadia. They had spoken a lot since Max moved to Seattle, almost every day. It would never be as good as in person, but better than nothing.

She couldn’t imagine what that would be like. Didn’t want to, either.

“Chloe!”

Turning her head, she came face to face with her pouting girlfriend. “Huh?”

“You were zoning out again.” Rachel’s expression softened, offering a reassuring smile. “You’ll be fine.”

“I know…”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I sense a but coming.”

“It’s just been a long time since I saw her, you know.”

“Everyone changes, but change isn’t a bad thing.” Rachel nudged her shoulder affectionately. “Meeting you was a good change.”

Chloe thought about arguing, a bad habit, then sighed. “Okay, you have a point.”

“Of course I do. I’m Rachel fucking Amber.”

“I thought your middle name was Dawn,” Chloe teased playfully.

Sticking out her tongue, Rachel shoved her harder. “I guess you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

“I guess not. _But_ I know the important things.”

Rachel smiled enigmatically, leaning in to kiss her but stopping a few inches short. “Is that so?”

When Chloe’s face turned pink, she chuckled and pressed a light kiss to her forehead before launching herself off the bed.

“We don’t want to keep Max waiting.”

A little disappointed, Chloe stood up too. “Yeah.”

Noticing her disheartened shoulder slump, Rachel gave her a hug. “It’s okay, Price. You’ll have me all to yourself later. I’ll even turn my phone off.”

“However will you survive?”

“I’ll manage. I have you after all, don’t I? You’re the only person I need.” Rachel held out her hand, hazel eyes filled with unwavering adoration.

Chloe took it firmly, mirroring the love effortlessly. It lit up her whole being, body, mind and soul - spreading like wildfire.

After breakfast, the pair jumped in Chloe’s truck and drove to the lighthouse. That was where Max wanted to meet, probably nostalgic over their shared childhood. It held special meaning for Chloe and Rachel too, where the latter was reunited with her mother after so many years of wondering.

“Nervous,” Rachel asked, tearing her eyes away from the window to look at her girlfriend.

“Chloe Price doesn’t get nervous.”

“There’s nobody to impress here, Price. You can be honest with me.”

Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel after she pulled into the beach parking lot, Chloe sighed. “Maybe a little.”

“I am too. A little,” Rachel admitted sheepishly. “You talk about Max with such… I don’t even know… You don’t talk about just anyone like that...”

Chloe relaxed slightly. “Rach, you’ve never been a placeholder for her. You know that, right? You’re my best friend, the person I love more than anything. I love Max too, but that’s different.”

“Sorry, I’m being jealous for no reason.”

“Hey, I get it. Maybe I get jealous sometimes, too. I mean, you have so many people who adore you.”

“And plenty who hate me,” Rachel added with a shrug.

“Anyone who hates you is an asshole.” Chloe took her hand, kissing the back. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Nodding, Rachel pressed her lips to Chloe’s cheek then whispered in her ear, “Okay, I trust you.”

Hearts racing, they both got out of the truck and headed up the cliff top path.

“You know, I’m wondering something. Why didn’t you and Max ever meet up before now? I mean, you had a truck.”

“A beat up truck that had a fifty-fifty chance of going up in flames,” Chloe reminded her.

“I guess so.”

Finally, they reached the top. Sunlight reflected off the choppy waters, shimmering. Chloe was slightly out of breath; she _really_ needed to quit smoking. Seagulls swooped in lazy circles overhead, small lines against a multi-colored sky - blues and reds blending seamlessly to purple.

Near the bench, they saw someone staring out over the ocean.

“Max,” Chloe called out, causing the figure to turn and smile broadly.

“Long time no see, Chloe. And…” Blue eyes flickered to Rachel as she approached them. “Nice to finally meet you, Rachel Amber.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, brief timeline of events for clarification:
> 
> Start off in Rachel’s timeline. Max and Chloe kept in touch after she moves to Seattle, William was alive. Max is taken by Jefferson before she returns to Arcadia. Rachel travels back and essentially sacrifices herself, which creates Max’s timeline - cue BTS/LIS canon. Then, Max goes back to save Rachel. This helps make the mixed timeline, where they can both exist.
> 
> Always fun to play around with this kinda canon stuff. Dunno if I'll add more random fluff chapters to this yet, but yeah main story is complete.


End file.
